SPAIN. Madrid eyes greener transportation

14/05/2020

In line with the plan to improve air quality it unveiled in 2017 (Plan A), the City of Madrid has just announced to allocate €6m in 2020 to help businesses (and itself) clean up both public transportation and delivery fleets. New restrictions came into effect on January 1st, 2020, preventing access to the city center for non “green” utility vehicles with a gross weight rating (GWR) of under 12 metric tons. The new regulation affects about 20% of transportation vehicles, or about 7.500 small trucks and vans. €4m will be given in the form of grants to delivery fleets and a further €2m to bus fleets. The program, which stretches through 2024, was criticized by the FEDISMER, the Spanish National Federation of Transport Associations. It argues that the plan is highly impractical for two reasons: “When it comes to electric light weight utility vehicles, their cost is currently three times that of their diesel counterpart, making amortizing those vehicles impossible over their lifecycle. As for high tonnage vehicles, manufacturers have yet to offer an electric alternative”. The federation is asking the government to direct part of the grants towards converting some of the existing vehicles to cleaner energy solutions.Photo : Citylogin-Madrid, Photo courtesy of FM Logistics